Straining Under Contradiction? Contradictory Class Locations and Job Strain in the United States
Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot1, Jeroen M van Baar2, Seth J Prins2,3
1Division of Epidemiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Summary
Job strain did not appear elevated for lower-level supervisors compared to workers. Despite higher demands, their overall job strain was lower, suggesting it may not explain mental health burdens in this group.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Occupational Health
- Psychology
Background:
- Lower-level supervisors may experience higher rates of mental illness and substance use.
- This is potentially due to their unique position between management and workers, leading to stressors like job strain.
- Previous U.S. research has not specifically examined job strain in this occupational group.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether job strain is elevated among lower-level supervisors in the United States.
- To analyze the relationship between occupational class, job strain, job control, and job demands.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 2002-2022 General Social Survey (n=9261).
- Classified respondents into occupational categories: workers, lower-level supervisors, higher-level supervisors, top executives, petit bourgeoisie, and capitalists.
- Developed a job strain score using job control and job demands items, analyzed with Poisson models.
Main Results:
- Job strain decreased linearly across occupational classes, being lower in lower-level supervisors and capitalists than workers.
- Lower-level supervisors reported significantly higher job demands compared to workers (14% increase).
- These patterns remained consistent after adjusting for potential confounders.
Conclusions:
- Job strain does not appear to be higher among lower-level supervisors compared to workers.
- Elevated job demands experienced by lower-level supervisors do not translate to higher overall job strain.
- The findings suggest that job strain may not be the primary factor underlying mental illness and substance use burdens in this group.
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